


Unlikely Warmth

by Engineer104



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Huddling For Warmth, Mutual Pining, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), i put off my wips for tiny fluff you're welcome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:20:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24213565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Engineer104/pseuds/Engineer104
Summary: “You seem cold,” Felix observed.“I-I-I am!” Annette retorted. “Th-thank you for n-n-noticing!” The chill seeped through her skin and settled into her bones; she would either freeze to death or become an old woman before she returned to her room, and it was all thanks to Felix.His gaze flicked to her face. He sighed, his eyes slipping shut as if exasperated. Annette bristled, prepared to insist that when she left her room the temperature was quite mild, thank you very much, but rather than wondering why she didn’t think to bring a coat or cloak, he opened his own and wrapped her in it.*// Felix and Annette huddle for warmth on a cold night.
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Comments: 15
Kudos: 98





	Unlikely Warmth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pachipower](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pachipower/gifts).



> It's trope-y but they're not in bed and nothing spicy happens, but that's okay! Pining in any form is good.
> 
> Challenge indirectly issued by Pachi. Hope you like it, dude!

Annette regretted leaving her cloak in her room.

She hunched her shoulders against the cold, her arms crossed to conserve warmth, and every time she opened her mouth to speak she nearly bit her tongue with her chattering teeth. She tried to weave a Fire glyph to conjure a lump of flame for heat, but even that required more motion than she was capable of while frozen stiff. She groaned and wondered where she went wrong, forgetting something as simple as her cloak.

She could just head back for it, she knew. It was a short walk - in the dark, past many tripping hazards, where anyone could lurk in a shadow - yet she lingered in the courtyard just to stand as close to Felix as she could get away with.

Which…wasn’t all that close. He looked just fine, walking almost as smoothly as ever, bundled in his coat with his fur-lined hood up. The wind left his face a little red, but his thick northern Faerghus skin did as much to keep him warm as that coat.

…well, not really. Out of the corner of her eye she could tell he held himself a little stiffer than usual, as if he resisted his own shivers.

They ambled past the fishing pond at a leisurely pace. He’d been on his way to the training grounds, and she’d just been coming back from the library after losing track of time while studying _again_. He’d had the audacity to chide her for it too, something or other about the monastery grounds not being as safe as they were five years ago while the cathedral lay in ruins and they still couldn’t ascertain which of their Imperial defector allies they could trust and while Dimitri was—

And then she’d given him grief for risking much the same, and he’d mumbled something about changing his mind about training just to see her back to her room.

Only they ended up taking the…very long way around, and it was quite cold, and Annette could finally admit to herself that Felix was, actually, to blame for the flutter in her chest whether she liked it or not.

Except she kind of _did_ like it. And him. And the fact he worried warmed her…though not enough to ward off the cold.

“You seem cold,” Felix himself observed when they paused at the edge of the quiet marketplace - made even quieter since fewer merchants and peddlers had returned with their business.

“I-I-I am!” Annette retorted. “Th-thank you for n-n-noticing!” The chill seeped through her skin and settled into her bones; she would either freeze to death or become an old woman before she returned to her room, and it was all thanks to Felix. She burrowed her hands deeper under her armpits and hoped her fingers wouldn’t fall off.

His gaze flicked to her face. He sighed, his eyes slipping shut as if exasperated. Annette bristled in response, already prepared to insist that when she left her room the temperature was quite mild, thank you very much, but rather than wondering why she didn’t think to bring a coat or cloak like she expected, he opened his own coat and wrapped her in it...along with him.

He crushed her against him, his arms solid and securing the coat around her. Her eyes widened as her mind struggled to comprehend what he did, that Felix basically hugged her of his volition, and that her body slowly thawed…but her face was on fire.

His embrace trapped her arms against his chest, and she could feel the racing of his heart under her cheek. Her own heart pounded in response, and suddenly it became harder to breathe for a different reason than freezing halfway to death.

But breathe Annette must, and when she inhaled she smelled…old leather and pine and the barest hint of cinnamon from his favorite tea (she guessed).

Slowly her trembling faded, and the tension eased from her muscles. Felix was so warm under his coat…it was a wonder his demeanor could be so cold sometimes. It was awfully kind of him to set aside his discomfort with physical affection just to keep her warm.

Maybe he wasn’t as…villainous as she judged him at first.

Annette snuggled in a little closer, a smile tugging at her lips. She liked it here, she decided; Felix gave good hugs, even if he refused to receive them.

“Better?” Felix wondered then. His voice vibrated from his chest and right through her.

A shiver traveled up her spine for a very different reason than the cold. She loosened her fists to clutch at his shirt instead, but before she could reply she…worried he might let her go based on her reply.

He had no reason to hold onto her once she warmed up, and from then it would become more urgent than ever to return to her room. She wanted to idle out here just a little longer with Felix, if only because she liked the feeling of his arms around her and his chin resting on the crown of her head.

“A little,” Annette admitted in the end, speaking into his shirt. “I could be warmer…”

His arms tightened a bit, and he agreed, “Then maybe a little longer before we head back.”

She bit her lip, a very large part of her wanting to contradict him, but now that she was no longer tensed up from the cold the length of the day behind her began to catch up to her. She muffled a yawn against his chest before daring to venture, “You know, you could’ve just given me your coat.”

“So I could be cold instead?” Felix scoffed. “Unlikely.”

Annette snorted but teased, “How very gallant of you, Felix.” Maybe he liked sharing warmth - or, rather, giving _her_ warmth - like this too, or maybe that was just wishful thinking, but she found herself very glad she left her cloak in her room.

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this instead of working on my...too many WIPs whoops. but how could i say no to fluff?
> 
> anyway, all comments appreciated, and thank you for reading <3


End file.
